Angels’ Raudi Rodriguez Wins 2025 Fall Stars Game MVP
Image credit: Raudi Rodriguez (Photo by Bill Mitchell)
Chances are, not many fans knew who Raudi Rodriguez was at the beginning of the year. But with 2025 nearing its end, the Angels outfielder is going to be a name worth remembering heading into 2026.
Rodriguez has continued his stellar year in the Arizona Fall League, where he’s become one of the league’s most exciting bats. He has the hardware to prove it now, as the 22-year-old was awarded the Fall Stars Game MVP on Sunday night after the American League defeated the National League 5-4 at Sloan Park.
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The Dominican Republic native became the first Angels player to win the award in the showcase’s 19-year history, although only the past 15 years have awarded an MVP.
“It means a lot to me,” Rodriguez told Baseball America in Spanish. “Playing with so many talented players isn’t an opportunity you get every day. I focus on giving it my all every time I play.”
It was an uneventful game until the ninth inning, but Rodriguez showed consistency throughout the night. He finished 2-for-3 with two hits, registering with exit velocities of 111 and 111.6 mph. He also drove in two runs—one on a single in the second inning and the second on a walk in the fifth.
A year ago, a feat like this for Rodriguez seemed out of reach. He already had a long journey ahead of him, as he was drafted in the 19th round in 2023 and signed for $100,000.
He wasn’t your typical draftee either. Rodriguez was raised in the Dominican Republic, but moved to the United States in 2020. He lived in Boston for two years before moving to Georgia, where he was drafted out of Georgia Premier Academy.
It was a tough transition personally, but Rodriguez saw its benefits.
“It was a great experience,” Rodriguez said. “I think the competition in the Dominican Republic was a bit stronger, but playing high school baseball allowed me to adapt to the style of play in the United States quicker.”
Despite hitting .368 in 12 games in the Arizona Complex League in 2023, the outfielder didn’t have the best introduction to pro ball in his first full season.
In 2024, he slashed .233/.340/.314 with one homer and 19 RBIs in the ACL. But in 2025, he bounced back by becoming one of the best hitters in the California League. He led the league in homers (14), RBIs (83) and runs scored (90).
That momentum has carried into the fall. On top of being named the Fall Stars MVP, Rodriguez is second in the AFL in batting average (.421) and slugging (.614) and sixth in OPS (1.124)—numbers that put him in the same breath as Kevin McGonigle, Braden Montgomery and Max Anderson, some of the more impressive prospects in the desert.
While there is still a week left in AFL play, Rodriguez said he’s achieved his goal of remaining consistent throughout the year. The Fall Stars MVP allows him to reflect on his growth from being a late draft pick to holding his award for a photoshoot in front of some of the best prospects in the game.
“I’ve really advanced as a player,” Rodriguez said. “I feel good because I always believed I could accomplish this goal. I know I still have so much more to offer, but this is already a really good sign.”
